


Electric Nerves

by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: 2x04, Can be read as friendship or pre relationship, Episode Tag, Episode: s02e04 Take Your Father To Work Day, Fix-It, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, dani and Mal fluff, just....more comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid/pseuds/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid
Summary: A slight fix-it to the scene in 2x04 after Malcolm gets tased where Dani gets a chance to comfort him and make sure he is okay
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell
Comments: 11
Kudos: 98





	Electric Nerves

Dani glanced at Bright as she made sure Rhonda was secure. Bright looked okay, all things considered. He was alive, standing, and appeared to be lucid. That man was going to be the death of her. She didn't know how many more times her nerves could handle finding Bright in deadly situations. This most recent situation had led to her teaming up with a psychopathic serial killer to save Bright instead of waiting for her backup to arrive.

Bright had just finished cuffing said psychopath. Dani had figured it would go over best if Malcolm were the one to put those back on The Surgeon. Bright swayed slightly where he stood, and Dani wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, but she knew Bright hated being fussed over and she knew if she asked him how he was in front of all these people and his father, she'd just get a typical Malcolm "I'm fine".

So Dani focused on her job. She made sure Rhonda was in the hands of a capable officer and then she instructed another officer to take Dr. Whitly back to his cell and get a statement from him.

"Detective Powell," A rookie officer, named Rick, came up to her. "There's a bus outside and medics to check Bright over," the young officer glanced at Malcolm anxiously, he may be new, but Rick apparently knew how Bright would react to that news. Dani took pity on him and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll get him up there. You and the other officers check in with the Claremont guards to see if you can help make sure the other prisoners are secure and no one has a key card they aren't supposed to," She said. Rick nodded and headed off.

The effects of everyone clearing out of the room on Bright were immediate. As soon as he and Dani were alone he seemed to deflate, hunching over and clutching his head. Dani moved to him quickly. She'd just reached him when his legs gave out. Dani slowed his fall as he collapsed to his knees, keeping him mostly upright with grips on his upper arms.

"Bright?" She asked anxiously. His head fell forward onto her shoulder and, almost instinctively, Dani put her arms around Malcolm. His breath was coming out in wheezes still and she could feel the muscles in his back spasming.

Dani allowed herself a few moments just to hold and comfort him before she moved slowly back. She put her hands on either side of his face and drew it away from her shoulder.

"Bright, look at me," His half-lidded eyes opened fully at her words and he fixed his luminous eyes on her. Dani sighed in relief at the clarity she saw there. He looked exhausted but cognisant.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," He said weakly. He pulled her hands away from his face but kept them clasped in his own. Dani could feel his fingers twitching.

"Don't lie to me, Bright. There are medics waiting upstairs. Now, you are going to be honest with me and let them check you over or I will personally make sure they take you to the hospital," Dani threatened, knowing that Bright always downplayed his injuries and would do anything to avoid the hospital.

Bright huffed a small laugh and looked down at the ground, his head hanging tiredly. Dani had to resist the urge to lift his head back up. She didn't like not being able to see his face. She could always read in his face what he wasn't saying with words.

"That is awfully manipulative of you, Detective Powell," Malcolm teased lightly.

"I just... I need to know you're okay," Dani said. The intensity of her tone made Bright lift his head to look at her. Dani couldn't get the sound of the taser and Bright's pained noises out of her head. "I didn't have a line of sight on Rhonda, but I could see you on the ground, getting tased over and over. But I couldn't see Rhonda. I couldn't see if she had any other weapons that she could hurt you with before I took her down," Dani said, needing to explain. 

"I was trying to figure out what to do when Dr. Whitly approached me," Dani continued, shivering at the memory of the killer’s hand on her shoulder. "He agreed to distract her while I went around to the other side. But I should've gone in sooner. I shouldn't have just sat there while she tortured you," She said in frustration.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bright said, looking surprised. "You did what you were trained to do, assess the situation, wait for backup, and never go into a situation that could end up with someone as a hostage. You figured out a way to keep everyone safe. You saved me. I'm fine."

"I said don't lie to me," Dani said pulling her hands away from Malcolm. She wasn't angry at him, just worried and tired of not getting a straight answer.

Malcolm frowned at her and readjusted so he was leaning against a dusty box, wincing as he did so. Dani raised her eyebrows at him and he sighed.

"Okay, my muscles feel like they are on fire and my head is killing me. I feel like I just ran a marathon at a full sprint," He admitted, closing his eyes tiredly.

“Or got tased 20 times,” Dani teased because it was easier to joke around than to admit just how worried she had been about him. How worried she always was about him.

“Yeah," Bright said with a chuckle.

"C'mon," Dani patted his leg and stood up, offering her hand out to Bright. He cracked his eyes open and looked at her. "Let's get you checked out by the medics and then I'll take you home." She wiggled her fingers, Malcolm reached up to take her hand, and she hauled him to his feet. She steadied him with a hand on his arm when he swayed slightly. Bright took a couple of seconds to get his bearings and then started towards the elevator.

“Don't you need to take my statement?” He asked, moving painfully slow.

"I can do that while the medics are looking at you,” She responded. After a moment’s hesitation, she moved closer to Bright and wrapped her arm around his waist. She was glad when instead of shrugging her off, he put his arm over her shoulders.

“But Gil-”

“Gil will want you to rest and recover from your marathon sprint," She interrupted his protest.

"Okay, but I have to meet my Mother in a few hours,” He said, still fighting the notion of rest while looking half-dead on his feet and leaning heavily on her.

"Then you can get a few hours of rest. Any other protests?"

“No," he said after a few moments.

“Good," Dani replied as they reached the elevator.

"Thank you," Malcolm said softly.

"You already thanked me," she pointed out.

"No, not just for saving me, thank you for being a good friend," He said his blue eye full of earnest sincerity.

“You don't have to thank me, that's what friends do,” She said, just as sincerely.

* * * * *

Bright was asleep before Dani had even finished putting on his restraints. She pulled his covers up and brushed the hair off of his forehead. Malcolm looked relaxed and peaceful, Dani hoped some of that rubbed off on her.

She was still on edge. Even though the medics had cleared him and he was now safe in bed. Dani felt like her nerves had been fried with that taser. She hadn’t been able to calm down since the first crackle of electricity and Bright’s cries of pain.

The Medics had advised that someone stay with Bright for a little while, so Dani sat on the floor with her back to the bed. She didn’t want to be as far away as the couch. Dani wanted to be close to him where she could hear his steady breathing and reassure herself that he was okay.


End file.
